A Bit from before Christmas...

I love the holiday season. I love how everything is busy, busy, busy up until Christmas day and then it all just sorta stops.  We slow down and savor.  We enjoy downtime as a family.  For several weeks virtually all activities come to halt. I am enjoying this now ~ slow and easy.  No rush.  Just me, the boys, and Em hanging out and taking it slow.  These pictures are from the weeks prior to Christmas when life was a little busier.  Fun times getting ready for Christmas!

Nana came for a little visit before Christmas, and here are a few pictures from our time with her.  The boys watched Christmas movies with her nearly every afternoon, and inevitably Eriky ended up like this...

asleep on his Nana!

Sweet Nana is the best game player on earth!  She is always up for a game of anything with one of her grandchildren...

Our children's choirs went caroling on the last Wednesday night before Christmas holidays.  They sang to the local nursing home residents and to church members unable to get out of their home this holiday season.  The boys were bundled up and ready to go out on that cold winter night!

We celebrated 12-12-12!!!

Such a sweet big brother!  Love him!!!

Sweet Em...

We made salt dough ornaments for teacher gifts this year!!!  So fun for the boys!  I know they enjoyed handing their teachers something they had made themselves! :-)

I think this was during It's a Wonderful Life...

Christmas parade fun with our sweet friends...

Now Christmas is over, and the decorations have all been put away.  It is simply cold.  But, I do love winter so much!  Hot chocolate, fires in the fireplace, white cloudy winter skies, seat warmers in the car, and hot coffee on icy cold mornings.  These things make my heart so happy!  There is much to look forward to in the months to come!!  There is much to be thankful for in each moment of each and every day!!! :-)